Open Streets return to Rittenhouse Square for six consecutive Sundays in September and October

Goodbye cars, hello pedestrians and pop-ups: Center City District is bringing its signature Open Streets program back to the Rittenhouse Square area for six Sundays starting Sept. 7.

Seven blocks near Rittenhouse Square will be closed to vehicular traffic every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Oct. 12, the business improvement district announced Thursday afternoon.

Center City District kicked off the Open Streets program last September, and has since closed streets around the square and Midtown Village to traffic intermittently to encourage more shopping, strolling, and dining.

So far, the switch has been successful : Open Streets had brought more than 115,000 visitors to the Rittenhouse Square area during its first year, CCD said in a statement, and some participating storefronts saw more than a 300% increase in foot traffic compared to a typical Sunday. A separate survey conducted by CCD last October also found that 90% of participating businesses saw increased sales.

» READ MORE: Editorial: Could Philadelphia’s embrace of the Open Streets program spur more civic innovations to come?

“Open Street provides a model of how a more pedestrian-focused Philadelphia ought to evolve — expanding public space, creating great opportunities to gather, and supporting the success of Center City’s retail and restaurant scene,” CCD president Prema Katari Gupta said in a statement.

This time , the participating streets will encompass Walnut Street from 19th to 15th streets and 18th Street between Locust and Chestnut streets. Traffic will be still be allowed to pass at all intersections during the closures.

For the fall, the vibe is about giving back and getting active. Madewell will be placing a denim donation bin outside its storefront during on Sept. 7 and 14, while beachwear adjacent brand Faherty will be offering free style consultations in exchange for participating in its community and charity programming.

Also on offer: Group runs with Philadelphia Runner, mini golf, and double dutch pop-ups with Philly Girls Jump. And before you have to ask, yes, projectors will be up to stream afternoon Eagles games.

Some new participants are also taking advantage of the pedestrian- palooza. Viral Swedish candy purveyor Lil Sweet Treat will be manning a candy cart during September’s Open Streets, while spirits-store-slash-cocktail bar BOTLD will be handing out free frozen cocktails samples.

Katari Gupta told City & State last month that CCD’s Open Streets program is about ensuring that “we don’t take for granted” the things that make the neighborhood distinct, like its walkability and indisputably European aura.

» READ MORE: Jawn sais quoi: New Michelin guide calls Philly ‘the Frenchest American city’

Philadelphia was recently voted the most walkable city in the United States for the third year in a row.

The city has experimented with street closings in the past. Under the defunct Philly Free Streets program, parts of South Street and North Broad Street were closed to motor vehicles for one Saturday each year, while both Martin Luther King Drive and Sansom Street were closed to traffic during the pandemic.

But Philly evidently has a ways to go to catch up with Paris. In the spring Parisians voted to ban cars on 500 streets.